Far Away
by DamonsGurl95
Summary: My take on the season 13 finale. Do not read if you have yet to watch it.
1. Chapter 1

**Far Away**

A/N: This story is to fill the void that I felt after watching the season 13 final. I'll admit I stopped watching NCIS about three-quarters of the way through season 11, I felt like Bishop wasn't a good match, I've watched a few episodes here and there since and think that the character fits in better but she's not Ziva. So when I heard that Michael Weatherly was leaving I got excited at the possibility of Ziva returning or just hearing that Tony and Ziva would be reunited would have satisfied me. Of course the writers went and did everything that fans wanted while also destroying all of our hopes and dreams, well potentially. This is my take on what I think should have happened, begins from after McGee calls Tony to tell him they've found Kort. Based on the song 'Far Away' by Nickelback. Enjoy :-)

Tony hung up and as suddenly as he remembered about his want to kill the man who had destroyed his life, he forgot about the need when he heard Tali giggling. He couldn't help but smile as Tali kept giggling and repeating 'Ima' and 'Abba'. He looked at the picture of Ziva and himself again. He spotted something in the corner of the image that didn't look right, it was as if something was behind the picture itself. He tilted the frame slightly and the thing that was there before was now gone. Tony frowned in confusion not knowing what could possibly be behind the picture.

Senior looked at his son in confusion wondering why he was tilting the frame around.

Tony looked at his father, senior gave his son a questioning look, Tony shrugged uncertainly.

Slowly Tony turned the frame upside down and unclasped the fasteners, removed the backing board and looked at the back of the picture. There was a folded sheet of paper sitting behind the picture. Tony grabbed the paper and looked at the delicate writing that spelled out his name, Ziva's writing.

Tony handed the frame to his father who clasped the fasteners back onto the backing board. Senior picked Tali up and took her to the kitchen talking about baking. Tony wasn't paying much attention, he was just grateful for time to himself to read this letter from Ziva.

Slowly Tony unfolded the paper and read:

 _Dearest Tony,_

 _I would like to apologise for not telling you about Tali. I wanted to tell you from the moment I learned that I was pregnant. I decided not to because I didn't want to disturb your life more than I already had. The moment that I laid eyes on our beautiful daughter I knew that she would always know her father and her family. Orli was able to warn me about the impending explosion, barely in time. I made sure that Tali was safe, I protected her until the firefighters came in and rescued her. I made sure that Orli put this picture frame in Tali's bag. I didn't tell her about this letter, only that you would go and see her soon enough in Israel. I apologise if this is all very confusing and not making much sense to you but I promise that everything will make sense in good time. I will meet you and Tali in the one place that I love most at your earliest convenience. I love you Tony I truly do and I apologise for putting you through hell, I just needed to know that you and our daughter would be safe. I can't wait to be reunited with you and Tali._

 _All my love ,_

 _Ziva_

Tony felt his heart leap into his throat as he realised that Ziva was still alive, that she had survived, that she was the reason that his precious daughter was safe. Tony felt the tears in his eyes, tears of relief and joy that he would be able to be with Ziva, that they would be able to be a family. The guilt that he had felt earlier that day about not telling Ziva how he truly felt about her was subsiding slightly knowing that he hadn't lost his chance to tell her. The anger that he had felt when Orli had first told him about Tali and his thinking that Ziva didn't know him disappeared in an instant. Ziva did know him, she knew him better than anyone else.

Tony stood quickly and walked into the kitchen with a smile on his face. He picked his daughter up out of her highchair and spun her around, Tali giggling the whole time. Senior smiled at the sight, he didn't care what Ziva had written in the letter only that it had made his son happy again.

"She's still alive Dad, I'm resigning, it's too late now so I'll wait until tomorrow, I'm taking Tali and we're going to Israel for answers and then we'll go to Paris, it's Ziva's favourite place in the world. We can finally be a family," Tony explained enthusiastically.

Senior was in slight shock at the new information but he was thrilled to know that Ziva was alive. Ziva was the only woman that he wanted his son to be with. The only woman that he would accept as a daughter-in-law. The happy moment was short lived however when he remembered the call that his son had received.

"Son, what about Kort?" Senior asked reluctantly ruining the moment.

Tony was in shock, he'd forgotten about that.

"Abba will be back baby girl, be good for grandpa," Tony said softly kissing his daughter's head and leaving her with his father.

Tony arrived just in time.

"... but not the one I expected," Kort said, Tony only caught the end of his sentence.

"I'm here," Tony responded.

He stood with his gun clenched in his hand ready to shoot the man who tried to take away the love of his life and his daughter.

"Dinozzo, I had no idea she'd be in the farmhouse, you know that," Kort spoke insincerely.

"Do I?" Tony asked in annoyance.

"It was nothing personal, strictly business," Kort tried to reason.

"It is personal," McGee said sternly, "it's Ziva."

Tony slowly walked closer to Kort as Tim spoke. He could feel his muscles tensing at the idea of Ziva truly being dead and it was all Kort's fault. It was Kort's fault that their daughter nearly lost her mother, that he nearly lost the one woman that he truly would give up the world for. In a disturbing way though he thought he should thank the bastard, at least he was able to meet his daughter and spend time with her. It would never make up for what Kort did.

"She was my family," Tony said fiercely.

Kort looked at him surprised trying desperately to reach for his gun as Tony pulled the trigger unhesitantly.

All around Kort the team pulled the triggers of their guns in succession and without hesitation. They all had a reason for wanting the man dead.

Tony watched on as the life left Kort's body. He thought that he would feel relief knowing that the man who attempted to ruin his life was dead but all he felt was a numbness. Tony couldn't help but think about what Ziva would say when he told her that he helped to kill Kort. He knew that she would be relieved that another man was out of this world that could harm their daughter but it was never easy for either of them to kill someone, even someone who they figured deserved it.

Ducky and Jimmy arrived to take the body and Tony left. He wanted to be with his daughter and he needed to book them flights to Tel Aviv for as soon as possible so that they could be reunited with Ziva.

Tony held Tali all night as he made plans, not letting her go. Tali didn't seem to mind, she sat happily on her Abba's lap as he booked flights on his computer.

Tony waited until Tali was asleep before he left her and Senior to go and see Gibbs. He would resign from NCIS in the morning and be on his way with Tali to Tel Aviv by noon. He figured that Gibbs deserved to hear it from him and not someone else, it wasn't going to be easy though.

Tony hesitated slightly before opening the front door to Gibbs home, the realisation of what he was about to do hit him like a tonne of bricks.

When Tony entered the basement he couldn't help but smile at Gibbs making yet another boat.

"Look who stopped by," Gibbs spoke as Tony stepped off of the last step, "got something on your mind?"

"Wanna tell you why I was late today," Tony admitted.

"Well," Gibbs started as he filled a jar with some alcoholic beverage that Tony couldn't recognise in the lighting, "you got there Dinozzo I don't need an explanation."

"I have one," Tony said as he began to walk around the edge of the basement, memories flooding to him about all of the time he had spent down there. "A few months ago you asked me what I really wanted. If I wanted to be an agent anymore, catch bad guys," Tony chuckled as he tapped on Gibbs old TV, "now I know the answer," Tony said as he turned to face Gibbs.

"Had a feeling," Gibbs admitted, knowing that if there was a chance that Shannon and Kelly were alive he would drop everything to find them.

"The Gibbs gut?" Tony questioned on a slight sigh.

"No," Gibbs admitted, "you. Seems to me you've known for a while, only now you've got a daughter to think of. You can't only think about yourself anymore."

"Evidently we have a daughter, me and Ziva," Tony said, his voice growing soft, "maybe she knew me better than I thought. When McGee called something hit me I got this feeling, something I'd never felt before. In that moment I didn't want Trent Kort dead, all I wanted to do was take care of Tali. Everything that she had in her life was gone."

"Hmm 'cept you," Gibbs reminded Tony.

"Except me," Tony said a little more brighter, "I'm it. I'm everything to that little girl now. And I've never been anyone's everything before."

"But you showed up," Gibbs acknowledged.

"Yes I did," Tony said with a genuine smile, "in all kinds of ways. That's it. I'm done now. I'm gonna take Tali to Israel look for some answers. Then I'm gonna take her to Paris, Ziva loves Paris."

"Gotta do what you gotta do," Gibbs started.

"You gotta believe what you gotta believe," Tony finished holding out his hand for Gibbs to shake, "I'd say thank you but it doesn't quite cover it boss."

Gibbs put his tools down and turned to Tony, ignoring the man's hand Gibbs pulled him into a tight hug. One that Tony was grateful for.

"You take care of yourself and your family Dinozzo," Gibbs told him.

"Copy that boss," Tony agreed a smile in his voice.

Gibbs rubbed the back of Tony's head rather than slapping it before they pulled out of the hug.

"You are still family Gibbs. One day I'll bring her home," Tony said, not quite ready to leave yet.

Gibbs smiled at that, "just take care of her and don't force the poor girl to come back before she's ready."

"I won't boss," Tony promised.

"Good luck Dinozzo," Gibbs said before returning to his work.

Tony smiled, "thanks Gibbs."

Tony decided that was the best moment to leave, Gibbs knew that Ziva was alive and that was what Tony had planned his visit to achieve.

Tony got home and wrote his resignation letter making it clear that his resignation was effective immediately. Only then did Tony lay on the couch and fall asleep.

The following morning Tony was grateful that Tali was still asleep, he would be able to leave without her clinging to him to stay. Senior was in the kitchen making breakfast and promised to watch her while he made his final trip to work.

Tony arrived at the Navy Yard and immediately spotted Abby heading into the building, he half ran to catch up with her knowing that Abby would be the hardest person to say goodbye to and wanting to get it over with so that he could get back to Tali as quickly as possible. He reached the lift just in time and regretted running immediately. This was going to be harder than he thought.

"Abs you're in early," Tony said, unsure where he was going with that comment.

The lift doors closed as Abby responded, "always."

"What's your excuse?" Abby asked seriously, knowing that something was up.

"Just got a few things to take care of," Tony responded, he was really regretting wanting to say goodbye to Abby first.

Abby could sense that Tony was struggling with something and decided to ease it out of him.

"Where's Tali?" She asked.

"Home," Tony said unable to meet Abby's eyes just yet, "with," he laughed, "grandpa."

"Senior must be so happy," Abby smiled slightly.

"To put it mildly," Tony agreed turning slightly to look at Abby and then regretting it and turning away.

Abby reached out and pressed the 'emergency stop' button to the lift.

Tony continued to stare straight ahead and tried not to think about the many times that he had been in that lift with Ziva.

"Oh I've never done that before," Abby admitted as the lift came to a grinding hault.

"Mmm," Tony said looking at Abby slightly, "how'd it feel?"

"Empowering," Abby sheepishly admitted, "I just have something I need to tell you before you go."

Tony tried not to look at Abby as she spoke. This was definitely too hard to deal with right now, he wished he had waited.

"How do you know I'm going?" Tony tried to stall.

"Because I'm Abby Sciuto and I know things," Abby said as confidently as possible.

"Hmm why did I ask?" Tony tried to joke.

"I know how much Ziva," Abby started, knowing that this would be hard to say and hard for Tony to hear, "really loved you and I need to know that you know that too."

Tony felt a lump in his throat, "I do, I think."

Abby sighed, "don't think, know," she said grabbing hold of Tony's wrist and forcing him to look at her, "I know. She told me. I'm really gonna miss you Anthony Dinozzo," Abby choked as tears sprung in her eyes.

Tony pulled her into a tight hug as reality set in that this was it, this was the last time he would get to hug Abby. Maybe not the last time ever but the last time for a while.

"Not half as much as I'm gonna miss you Abby Sciuto," Tony said.

They pulled out of the embrace and Abby started the lift again.

"Stay in contact," she whispered.

Tony chuckled, "I'll try, I promise."

Abby seemed to be okay with that and as the lift doors dinged open Tony gave her one last hug before heading towards the bullpen. He was grateful when he spotted it that only Tim was there for the time being.

"So I guess it's true, you're leaving," he said as Tony entered the bullpen.

"I'm needed elsewhere," Tony said simply as he began to pack up his desk into a box that was conveniently sitting on said desk.

"Here, take this," Tim said handing Tony a folded sheet of paper, "it's information for a secure server so that you can stay in touch, both of you. It's set up with only Abby, Ducky, Jimmy, Gibbs, and myself having access. This way we get to watch Tali grow and not have to be worried about endangering any of you."

"How did you work it out?" Tony asked, the hint that Ziva should stay in touch was not lost on him.

Tim simply smiled, "I hoped. In all honesty I had this setup when you left to find Ziva a few years back. We were all hoping that you would stay with her and I figured you would let us know and I could open the server so that we could stay in touch safely. When you came back I kept the server in case you changed your mind and went back to her. Now you can use it yourself to stay in contact with us."

Tony chuckled as he realised that everyone had secretly been hoping he and Ziva would end up together.

"Thanks Tim, trust me I'll make use of it. Thanks for not including Bishop in it. She didn't know Ziva and I would feel weird about sharing special moments with her when it comes to Tali and us. Make sure you show her pictures of Tali though, she deserves to watch her grow too, after all she's already met Tali, it's only fair," Tony said.

"It was actually Gibbs idea, he wanted it to be just for family. Plus I created it before Bishop joined us and it didn't feel right adding her," Tim explained.

Tony decided that now would be a good time to hand in his resignation and Tim offered to pack the rest of Tony's things.

Tony walked into Vance's office and handed him the sheet of paper that was his resignation. He placed his badge and gun on the desk and shook the director's hand. There was no need for words between them, Vance understood possibly more than anyone else on the team why he was leaving.

Tony then decided it was time to say goodbye to Ducky and Jimmy so he rode the lift down to autopsy.

"Take care of your family Antony," Ducky said as way of farewell.

"I will," Tony responded.

The two men shook hands.

Next was Jimmy and Tony didn't even bother to shake his hand, choosing instead to hug him. If it hadn't been for Jimmy he might not have even considered leaving, of course Ziva's letter had been the push that he needed to make the choice but Jimmy had planted the seed.

"Thank you," Tony whispered.

"You're welcome," Jimmy responded as they pulled out of the hug.

Tony smiled at the pair one last time before heading back up to the bullpen.

Tony walked into the bullpen and noticed the box was full and Tim and Bishop were waiting for him.

"Tony," Tim said.

"Hey guys," Tony acknowledged as he headed to his desk to grab his box.

"So Gibbs talked to us," Tim continued.

Tony realised that Tim was pretending that their earlier conversation hadn't happened. Tony understood why. Their conversation had been about their family, the family that had formed when Ziva had arrived. The family that had been to hell and back for one another countless times.

"You serious about this?" Tim asked.

Tony could tell that although Tim understood why he was leaving it wasn't easy to say goodbye.

Tony picked up the box and walked over to his teammates.

Tony held out his hand to Tim, "I have five words for you," Tim shook his hand, "Very Special Agent Timothy McGee."

The pair smiled at each other and hugged. It was a nice moment between brothers, after all that's what they are.

"Eleanor Bishop," Tony said turning to his other teammate, "you are a very good agent but not nearly as good as I think you one day will be."

The pair hugged, "take care of yourself," Tony whispered to her.

"Where you going first Tony?" Eleanor asked as they pulled away from one another.

"Well, I'm going home to see Tali," Tony said.

He turned and walked away.

When Tony got home Senior smiled at him.

"Tali is ready to go, she's very excited," Senior said with a smile.

Tony chuckled, "thanks Dad. I'll be back before you know it."

Senior chuckled, "I'll be waiting then."

Tony went into his room to find Tali sitting on the bed patiently waiting for him.

"Abba!" She squealed in excitement.

Tony grinned as he picked his daughter up and spun her around.

"Ready to go find Ima?" Tony asked.

Tali nodded enthusiastically.

Tony smiled.

The father daughter duo were on their plane to Tel Aviv when Tony started to get excited at the prospect of seeing Ziva. He never gave up on seeing her again. He missed her everyday from the moment he left her. He couldn't wait to hold her in his arms again and never let go. He couldn't wait to tell her how much he loved her.

Tony watched Tali sleep in the seat beside him and smiled.

He and Ziva were finally having their dream of having a family come true.

Everything was falling into place.

A/N: I'm not entirely sure on the computer jargon, I haven't done computer studies in over four years. I hope you enjoyed the story :-) It was not meant as a hate thing towards Bishop, I just miss the family as they were before she came into the picture. I do believe that she is a great character though. I may write another chapter as a continuation, if you all want it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Tony and Tali were on their flight to Paris after a quick two hour stop in Tel Aviv where he met up with Orli, like Ziva told him to in her letter.

It had been an awkward meet up for Tony, he still didn't like or trust Orli.

 _Tony and Tali entered Orli's office._

 _Even though Tali knew Orli she was hesitant in giving the woman a hug, her Ima had liked Orli but never trusted her enough._

 _Tony had to try to refrain himself from smirking when he noticed his daughters hesitation._

 _He just wished that he knew why Ziva had told him to see Orli before going to her._

" _Tony, it is so good to see you," Orli said on their entrance._

 _Tony nodded, "you too."_

 _Orli could tell that there was some tension in the space._

" _I assume that you are wondering why you are here?" Orli questioned._

" _Yeah actually I am," Tony spoke, trying to sound calm and not annoyed at Orli's lack of urgency._

" _Ziva gave me this in case anything happened to her and you had to take Tali," Orli explained as she handed Tony a thick envelope._

 _Tony looked at the envelope uncertainly._

" _I assume that you found my note in Tali's bag and that is why you are here," Orli guessed._

 _Tony just nodded, his focus was still on the envelope._

 _Orli's words to Tony suggested that she had no idea that Ziva was still alive._

" _Tony, Tali only has you now. You are everything to her. However you can not allow her to forget her mother or her Israeli heritage," Orli said sternly._

 _Tony fought the urge to roll his eyes at her. As if he would let Tali forget Ziva or her Israeli heritage. The suggestion alone made Tony want to punch the woman. He bit his tongue and forced himself to stay calm by holding Tali a little tighter._

" _I asked you here to give you that from Ziva and this," Orli continued, she handed Tony a bag, "it is some of Eli's things that Ziva didn't know I had. Eli left a lot of things in this office in 'secret' compartments and such. I know that Ziva would have wanted Tali to have these things."_

 _Tony was completely confused, if this woman had Eli's things why didn't she give them to Ziva? Then Tony remembered the comment that Orli had made the other day in Vance's office about her and Ziva being close friends. If they were such close friends why didn't Orli give her those things? Tony found himself feeling more annoyed and frustrated with Orli. All he wanted to do was leave that office, get on the plane and go and find Ziva. More than anything in that moment he just wanted to hold Ziva._

Tony shook his head and looked at his little girl fast asleep beside him.

Smiling Tony undid his seatbelt and kissed Tali's forehead. Tony sat back down and grinned as his daughter moved around in her seat with a smile on her face. It was those small things that were making Tony feel great. He hadn't realised until he met Tali that a young child could make him feel like he mattered. Tony hadn't known that a little girl could mean so much to him.

An announcement came over the loudspeaker that they would be landing shortly and it was time to prepare for the descent.

Tony regretfully woke Tali up so that he could fix her seat in the upright position and make sure that she was awake enough to be able to carry her little backpack carry on. Tony hadn't checked in any bags, simply putting their things into a duffle bag that would be able to fit in the overhead locker, it meant less time waiting after landing and being able to get to Ziva sooner.

As the plane started to descend Tony began to feel nervous. The last few days had been all about getting to Ziva, not so much about what would happen when he saw Ziva.

Tali started to whimper and Tony gently squeezed his daughter's hand to help calm her. His nerves forgotten for the moment.

"Tali, it's okay baby, Abba is here, you're okay," Tony soothed.

Tali looked Tony dead in the eye and visibly relaxed.

Tony held Tali's eye not wanting her to be scared again.

The wheels of the plane touched down and Tali didn't jump, much to Tony's relief. He didn't think that he would be able to handle a child who was scared of flying.

The next announcement was to let the passengers know that they could now disembark.

Tony grabbed the duffle bag down from the overhead locker and waited for the crowd ahead of him to start moving. Tali was kneeling on the seat with her little backpack over her shoulders waiting for her Abba to pick her up so that they could go and see her Ima.

Tony picked Tali and the duffle bag up walking off of the plane.

The next challenge for him was to get a taxi or a hire car to go to the hotel that he and Ziva had stayed in all those years ago. He was certain that Ziva would be there.

Tony was glad that he hadn't checked any bags in, it saved him a good ten minutes. Plus it meant that the taxi queue was empty. Tony gave the taxi driver the hotels address and hoped that Ziva would be there.

The driver stopped outside of the hotel, Tony thanked him and paid.

Tali was cuddled in his arms as Tony walked into the hotel with their duffle bag in hand. This was it the moment that he had been waiting for for months.

Tony walked up to the front counter of the hotel and waited in the line. He planned to check them into a room and then work out how to find Ziva. It was unlikely that the employee at the counter would tell him which room she was in. Besides seeing as the world believe that she is dead Ziva could be staying there under an alias. Tony had no idea how this was going to work.

When they got to their room Tali jumped straight onto the bed giggling.

Tony shook his head good naturedly at his little princess.

He couldn't understand where all of her energy had come from, he was exhausted.

"Tali we're going to relax for a while okay. We can watch TV if you want to but Abba needs to get some sleep so you're in charge of the TV," Tony explained.

Tali nodded.

Tony went around the room ensuring that the doors were all locked so that Tali couldn't hurt herself while he was sleeping. He noticed that the doors in the room (the main door, the balcony door, and the bathroom door) all had a secondary lock at the top of the door, like a secondary deadbolt. This made Tony feel a little more relaxed as he pushed those locks into place.

Tony handed the TV remote to Tali (after ensuring that the parental lock was on) and climbed into the bed beside her. Tali managed to find a kids channel that was in English and giggled proudly. Tony grinned, Tali was definitely his little girl.

Three hours later Tony woke up to Tali jumping on his stomach.

Tony opened his eyes and pulled Tali flat down on himself making her laugh after the shock wore off. Tony laid his daughter beside him and started tickling her. They were both laughing their heads off, it was a fantastic father/daughter never wanted to forget his little girl's laughter. He hoped that she would never have to face the terrors that he and Ziva have had to face so far in their lives. He wanted their daughter to grow up knowing that she can do whatever she wants, be whoever she wants and that they will always support her. He wants their daughter to grow up being safe, being protected.

Tony couldn't believe how in such a short time Tali had changed his outlook on life. Tony smiled at Tali kissing her forehead as she cuddled into his side. Tony knew that they should get up and go on their hunt for Ziva but he didn't know if he could move yet, he was too comfortable having his little angel cuddling in his side.

Tony waited twenty minutes before he decided that it was time for them to go looking.

Tali was reluctant to get out of bed until Tony told her that they were going to go and try to find Ima. It didn't take long for Tali to jump into his arms after that.

Tony laughed. It was a perfect moment.

They left the hotel room and walked around to the room that Tony and Ziva had stayed in. It was a long shot but Tony figured it was a good place to start.

Tony knocked on the door to come face to face with…..

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter :-) I used a variety of different descriptions of what Tali is Tony (little princess, little angel etc) because that's how my Dad used to (occasionally still does) describe me and it's cute. Tali is a Daddy's girl :-) Look out for the next chapter coming in three weeks. I'll be away for the next few weeks and probably won't be updating until I get back. In the meantime take a look at my other Tiva stories :-) Thanks for the support x


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

A/N: Sorry it's taken a while but I hope you like this chapter. This is for bunnykoko who requested more and everyone else who has been waiting :-)

Tony knocked on the door uncertainly and waited for it to open.

He didn't have to wait long until the door swung open to reveal his Israeli love.

Ziva's eyes immediately welled up as she saw Tony standing in front of her room holding her precious Tali.

"Ima!" Tali shrieked excitedly.

Tony smiled between his two favourite girls and handed a now squirming Tali to her mother.

Ziva held her daughter tightly and then moved out of the way to allow Tony entrance to her room.

It was like slow motion.

Tony carefully closed the door as Ziva shuffled towards the bed and Tali giggled.

Tony didn't know what he was supposed to do next, on one hand all he wanted to do was hold Ziva and promise that he would never leave her, on the other hand he was hurt that she had kept their daughter from him for so long.

Ziva could see the conflict in Tony's eyes and decided that they needed to talk. She placed Tali on the bed and put some of her toys around her, toys that Ziva had taken with her rather than leave for Tony. Once she was sure that Tali was occupied she took Tony's hand and led him onto the balcony which was still in full view of the room in case Tali needed them.

Before Ziva could speak Tony pulled her into his arms and held her tightly, kissing her everywhere he could reach without having to pull away from her.

Ziva clung to Tony with all her might, she really didn't want to let go again.

If one thing was certain they were doomed when they were apart, when they were together they were safer and they could get out of sticky situations a lot easier.

They stood for a long time just holding one another and breathing in each other's scent. They didn't want to risk breaking what was already fragile between them by speaking.

They both knew that they had to speak though, they needed to talk about Ziva's letter and about what happened when Tony left. It could very well be the hardest conversation that they would ever have but they knew if they wanted to make this work, if they wanted to be a real family, they had to talk.

As though the idea hit them both at the same time they slowly pulled apart from their embrace and sat on the chairs on the balcony close enough together to still hold hands.

"What happened after I left?" Tony asked Ziva slowly, he was terrified about what she might tell him, the thought that he had left her vulnerable, pregnant, and alone worried him.

"I went back to the house and started to search again but then I started to feel sick for a few days in a row and I knew I couldn't stay hidden forever. I went to Mossad, it's the only place that I knew I could see a doctor without having to answer a bunch of questions and I knew that I couldn't avoid seeing Orli forever. I saw Orli before I went to see the doctor, just to make sure that I was still allowed to use the facilities that Mossad offered despite not being an operative for Mossad any longer. We talked, mostly about my father, a little about the traitors. She assured me that I could make use of Mossad whenever I wanted to, including using their computers to find information that I needed. By the time I left her office it was already dark, we'd talked for hours without realising it. Turns out we had a lot of baggage that we needed to work through. It by no means meant that I trusted her though and her admittance that I could use Mossad made me decide against it knowing that she had access to the records if she wanted them. The following day I found the doctor that my mother had used when she found out about Tali and knew I could trust him. Yes I suspected that I was pregnant, it made the most sense. The doctor confirmed it and I kept it a secret for as long as I could then Orli found me one day when I was seven months and very obviously showing. It was then that I decided to keep her as a friend, I knew that if I needed to she could get a message to NCIS, to you. Tali was born and I gave up on my plan to tell anyone at NCIS. I couldn't risk the information falling into the wrong hands, especially I didn't trust Orli enough to actually get the message to you. I was terrified when I learned that someone from our past was coming after me, Tali had been safe for so long that I hated the idea of her life being in danger the way that mine was my entire life. It was then that I had Orli help me with my plan to get Tali out safe and alive to you. I wrote the letter seconds before the attack and slipped it into Tali's baby bag, I knew that Orli had already checked that everything you would need to look after her was in the bag so she wouldn't check it again. I left Israel and went to a few places never staying more than a few hours before I came here. I didn't want to risk being tracked. Then I've been waiting ever since, I knew you would find the letter and that this would be the first place that you looked. I'm glad that I was right," Ziva finished softly.

Tony had sat in stunned silence the entire time that Ziva spoke and didn't know what to say when she finished her speech. He realised that had their past not caught up to her he might never have met Tali.

Ziva seemed to guess that was where his thoughts had taken him, "I had already planned to bring Tali to DC before this all happened, I wanted her to be around the family that I love so much. If none of this had happened we would have been arriving in DC tomorrow, I had already booked flights and everything before this happened. Orli managed to get the flights moved up for her and Tali, she reimbursed me for the tickets so that I could get away from Israel safely. She didn't know that I had more money put away so that I could hide without anyone finding me, anyone but you."

Tony seemed relieved when Ziva said she had already planned to bring Tali to meet him, "Gibbs would have loved that. I think he knew you were alive, I told him I was taking Tali to your favourite place, Paris, and he smiled as if he knew exactly why I was coming here. They'll all be relieved to know that you're alive. Everyone has missed you more than you know. I was wrong for leaving you Ziva and it seems all I've done is make stupid mistakes since then."

Ziva squeezed his hand gently to encourage Tony to go on.

"I met a great girl, she was great. I ruined it though. She wasn't you Zi. As hard as I tried to move on and be with someone else I just couldn't. I knew that I'd broken my promise to you and I knew that I couldn't be with her knowing that I loved you so much more than I could ever love someone else. You're my one and only Zi, I love you more than I ever told you and I love Tali so much too. She's perfect," Tony admitted softly.

Ziva smiled, "Tony you made that promise in the heat of the moment, I would have been saddened to know that you hadn't tried to move on. I truly believe that we are soulmates but it would have been wrong of me to expect that you would have waited until I had found what I needed to. I'm glad that you tried with someone else and didn't give into misery as I had before Tali. I missed you so much. I love you with all my heart."

Ziva felt tears spill down her cheeks and Tony was out of his seat in an instant wiping the tears away and kissing her fully and lovingly.

They would have stayed together like that for a while had their daughter not called out for them.

They slowly pulled apart and Ziva quickly moved into the room to see Tali was tangled up in the bed sheets and her toys were all over the floor.

Laughing Tony helped Ziva to rescue their daughter, they couldn't work out how she had managed to tangle herself up so much.

Tali glared at her father who was still laughing, now at the adorable look on her face. Ziva rolled her eyes at Tony and held Tali tight.

"Are you okay?" Ziva asked Tali gently.

Tali nodded slowly, "aba mean."

Ziva smiled, "he is isn't he."

Tony looked in mock shock at Ziva, "hey! I'm not mean. I looked after her for days."

Ziva laughed, "that explains the bruise on her forehead."

Tony looked at her in surprise, "what bruise?"

Ziva placed Tali on the bed and indicated a tiny bruise near her hairline.

"I… I didn't even… How didn't I notice?" Tony asked in shock.

Ziva smiled as she took Tony's hand, "she's a kid she probably didn't even notice. She'll be fine. Trust me you'd know if it hurt. She ran into a door one day and screamed her lungs out. Poor baby had a bump on her head for a few weeks, cream helped to get rid of it. I've got some bruise cream so I'll put that on and she'll be fine."

Tony still looked worried, "how did I not know?" he whispered.

"Let me guess senior was in town?" Ziva suggested.

"I knew I shouldn't have left him alone with her," Tony grumbled as Ziva fished in a bag for the cream.

"They were probably just playing and having fun, he didn't want to worry you more than you already were," Ziva supplied.

Tony sighed, "yeah I guess. This isn't going to be easy is it?"

Ziva smiled as she applied cream to the bruise on Tali's head, "raising a kid is not easy but it'll be easier together."


	4. Chapter 4

**Far Away - Chapter 4**

Tony smiled as he watched Tali and Ziva sitting on the bed arguing over the TV remote.

It amazed Tony how the small things could bring a smile to his face so easily.

Tali wanted to watch a French show for little kids but Ziva was intent on watching the news.

Tony laughed as he jumped on the bed and grabbed the remote from his girls hands.

"I think I should choose what we're watching," Tony said with a grin.

"NO!" Ziva and Tali said sternly at the same time.

"Ok…. That was weird," Tony said.

Ziva laughed, "we're both stubborn Tony. Our daughter was bound to be stubborn too. We always disagree on what to watch."

Tony shook his head good naturedly, "of course you do."

"Abba watch teddy," Tali said with puppy dog eyes.

Tony frowned, "what do you want to watch?"

"Teddy," Tali said in annoyance.

"She means the Teletubbies. It's her favourite show," Ziva helped..

"Oh, right, okay. I'll find it," Tony said as he scrolled through the channels until he found his daughter's favourite show.

Tali giggled when she saw the smiling sun on the TV screen.

Ziva resisted rolling her eyes. Her daughter was too cute for her to complain about watching a show that she couldn't stand.

Tony on the other hand wasn't used to watching the show and didn't have the experience necessary to hide his displeasure at having to watch it.

Tony openly laughed as the Teletubbies stood under the sun and started to speak.

Ziva whacked his arm as hard as she could with their daughter sat between them.

Tali just glared at her father before turning her attention back to the show.

"Why don't you go and find us some lunch," Ziva suggested.

Tony looked relieved to escape and agreed without hesitation.

"I'll find a deli and get sandwiches," Tony said quickly as he grabbed his wallet and room key before leaving the room.

Ziva shook her head at his antics.

Tony left the hotel as fast as he could.

There were only two reasons he wanted to get out of there quickly.

The first reason was to get back to his girls as quickly as he could.

The second was to get away from that show.

Tony was determined that he would do anything, watch anything, be anything that his daughter wanted him to. This was one case however when he wouldn't be doing so. Ziva was better equipped to handle the situation than he was.

Tony was determined to be better at handling everything for his daughter.

Tony reached the local deli and ordered six different sandwiches to give his girls some options.

While Tony was waiting he called Gibbs to let him know that they were all safe and together.

"DiNozzo, what can I do for you?" Gibbs asked.

"Just letting you know that we're all safe and together boss," Tony answered.

"Good to hear DiNozzo. How is she?" Gibbs questioned.

Tony knew instantly that Gibbs was referring to Ziva.

"A bit shaken up. She's not herself but I guess after all she's been through it's no surprise. I'm sure she'll be alright soon. She just needs more time. I can already tell that Tali being with her again is making everything easier," Tony explained.

"Good to hear. When you're ready to come home there's always room for you all. Take good care of those girls for me DiNozzo," Gibbs said.

"Always will boss. I'll bring them home as soon as I can," Tony said.

His number was called and so he said goodbye to Gibbs and grabbed the food before rushing back to the hotel.

When Tony walked into the room Ziva and Tali were still sat on the bed but they weren't watching Teletubbies.

They were looking at a photo album.

Neither Ziva nor Tali looked up when Tony entered the room so he made no move to make them notice him.

Tony would love to just stand in a corner and watch them all day if he could.

Watching his girls completed him and filled his heart with a joy he'd never experienced before, filled his heart with so much love that he could swear he'd drown in its abundance.

Tony promised himself there and then that he would make sure that he could get his girls back to DC, back to their family where they could be whole again.

DC was where Tali could grow up with a Grandpa who adores her, an uncle who would teach her, an uncle who would dote on her, an uncle who would tell her stories, and an aunt who would treat her like a princess.

Of course she would have two other aunts as well and a cousin but Tony had a hard time including Delilah, Breana, and Victoria as their family when Ziva didn't really know them and Tali definitely didn't know them.

In time they would all be a big happy family…..

A/N: Even when I was one I would try to get the TV remote from my Dad, twenty years later nothing has changed. I thought it would be nice to see that type of banter between Ziva and Tali since there isn't much we know about their relationship.


End file.
